Interior Decorating

One Room Challenge – ManCave Garage – Week 2

Time for a Week 2 update on my One Room Challenge (ORC) where I will endeavor to transform my husband’s garage into a “mancave” garage in 6 short weeks. Remember I am linking up to the One Room Challenge, along with a ton of other designers/bloggers challenging themselves to complete a room in 6 weeks. Now many of you have been wondering why I chose a garage for my first ORC…..and it really came down to timing. My husband and I had been discussing the garage transformation for the last month and had committed a budget to it. So when my friends Vanessa & Christine challenged me to participate in this round of the ORC, the only room I could offer up was the garage. So not as glamorous as transforming a bedroom or bathroom but at least no one else is doing a garage.

Now let’s recap my Sean’s objectives for his mancave:

Organization! everything in its place (ie: tools) and the garage to be clutter-free

Maximize vertical space for seasonal vehicles – we have an 18 ft ceiling in the garage so it makes sense as this under-utilized space

Clean & odor-free garage – new flooring & storage will take care of this

Add heater to moderate temperature in garage for seasonal vehicles

Man-cave comfort (ie: fridge, counter space, TV) so he can watch sports while he is puttering around in the garage

Create an art wall where he can display the pictures from all his motorcycle rides – pictures that I haven’t allowed in the house

We decided to hire a company called Garage Living, experts in converting ugly garages into masterpieces.

After meeting with them, they came back with some floor plans of our new garage taking into consideration our objectives for the mancave. Below is a 3D floor plan they presented to us. Utilizing our high ceilings, a car lift will be added to store the summer car. Underneath will be room for the motorcycle and Sean’s car. On the other side is cabinetry that will house tools, recycling bins, my designer samples and a bar fridge. My husband will have a TV or laptop on the countertop to watch sports while he putters around with his tools or his new coffee bean roaster. 🙂

There will also be additional storage overhead at the back and the front of the garage where we will store summer tires, seasonal items and whatever else goes up there. Bikes will be hung on the walls where the car lift is. On the other side we will use that large wall to hang up my husband’s Harley-Davidson / Porsche pictures that he has taken on road trips.

Below is a technical illustration of the floor plan that Garage Living provided to us — I always love giving clients a technical drawing of their floor plan….it looks so professional.

In reality the left side of the garage is for my SUV…but as I mentioned last week, it really is too big and I would barely be able to open my driver door to get out…..so this is where the mancave portion comes in. Still debating whether I will add a table & chairs there or a sofa. Hmmmmm, lots to think about still.

Ok, that’s it for this week. Plans have been approved. Next week we will be choosing the flooring, wall colour, cabinetry and back-splash….so come back for my ORC Week 3 update.

Click here to catch up on my ORC Week 1 blog post and click here to see what other rooms are being transformed from all the participants.

Christine likes to approach a room like a woman’s outfit: Buy great, timeless pieces that have longevity and accessorize with less expensive items! “Decorate as you dress.” Make this your design motto and you will be successful. Décor by Christine can help you create stylish, yet functional rooms that reflect your personality & style!